Portable electric light.



G. F. HITZELBERGER. PORTABLE ELECTRIC LIGHT.

APPLICATION man MAR. 9, 1914.

Patented Nov. 21, 1916.

,dUsTAvE FREDERICKHrTzELRERGER'oE LONDON, ENGLAND, AssrGNoR To AMERICAN OEEICE.

EVER READY COMPANY, A CORPORATION OE NEW YORK.

EORTABLE ELECTRIC LIGHT.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented NOV, 21, 1916,

Application led March 9, 1914. Serial N o. 823,300.

To all whom t may concern: l

` Be it known that I, GUsTAvE FREDERICK HITZELBERGER, a citizen of the United States, residing at London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Portable Electricy Lights-of which the following is a speciication, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings, forming part thereof.

y invention relates to portableV electric lights of such size and proportions as to be suitable for conveniently carrying from place to place and standing upon any iiat surface, as upon a table Or mantel, lights 0f this general kind being popularly known as, electric candles.

Objects of my invention are simplicity of construction, inexpensiveness of manufacture, durability, neatness o'f appearance, certainty of retention of the closed circuit and. the open'circuit conditions, certainty of operation and of `operable condition, .and convenience of operation.I

Other Objects are" facility of assembling and of renewal of parts, should such vbecome necessary.' f

Another Objectis that the device may b e readily constructed in diil'erent heights,I to represent candle-sticks of corresponding variations in height.

Other objects andadvantages of my inven- A tion will hereinafter appear.

tion on a y invention includes features of construction and combinations of parts, as vwill appear from the following description.

I shall now describe the portable electric light illustrated in the accompanying drawings embodying my invention and shall thereafter point out my invention-in claims.

Figure 1 is a central verticalA section, partly lin elevation, with the circuit in the open condition.` Fig. 2 is a similar enlarged view in further section of some of the parts appearing .in Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a similar view with the circuit in the closed condition. Fig. 4 is a vertical section on planes indicated by line 4--4 of Fig. 3 as viewed from the right. Fig. 5 -is a horizont-al secplane indicated by line 5 5 of Fig. 3 as vlewed from below. Fig. 6 is an elevation, partly in section, of the circuit- Vcompleting post and its adjuncts.

The portable electric light illustrated in the drawingshas the general appearance of a candle-stick holding a candle. It has apart tubular column connection between .tery terminal 6. v:ofthe battery is battery tubular Asheet metal column, whichlincludes an upper part 1 representing a candle and a lower part 2 representing a. candle-stick and provided with a weighted Haring base and lan upper flange, as shown. The upper and lower parts screwed together: The upper end of the tubular part 1 is provided with a lampreceiving socket 3, into which is screwed a miniature incandescent lamp 4. The tworemovably contains a cylindrical battery 5 having .a battery terminal 6 central of the top imposition to be directly engaged by the lcenter terminal of the lamp 4, the lamp forming an electrical its socket 3 and the bat- 'The sheet metal casing 7 exposed at the bottom of the battery-and forms the other battery terminal. Electrical connection between the terminal 7 and the lower partA 2 of 1 and 2 are shown asthe conductive column is controlled by the circuit closer of my present invention.

A circuit-completing rod or post 8 is secured by means of a supporting screw l9 toa cup-shaped insulating plug or block 10 fitting snugly into the lower cylindrical end of the lower tubular column part 2 and pro vided with a slight ange to limit its entrance into the .tubular part 2. The post 8 extends upward within the lower portion of the tubular part 2 and at its upper end has an electrically conductive disk 11 secured thereto by means of a fastening screw 12. which `also holds in place a non-conductive insulating and spacing disk 13. A spiral spring 14, having its larger end soldered-to the upper surface of the metal disk 11, yieldingly supports the battery 5 upon its upper and smaller end and constitutes also a resilient contact terminal which m-akes electrically conductive connection with the battery terminal 7.

The insulating plug 10 carries a stationarily mounted contact member 15 shown as a reversely bent leaf spring substantially of a narrow V-shape having one of its legs secured to the lower end of the post- 8 and to the insulatin plug 10 by the supporting screw 9, whic also electrically conductively connects the contact member 15 to the post 8.

The movable parts of the circuit closer include an insulating member 16 and a contact piece 17, which are shown as of transthrough the apertures in the tubular part 2 stems 18 an versely circular tubular form having larger abutting ends of the same diameter. The Contact piece 17 forms part of a movable circuit-closin member having joined metal 19. The stem portion 18 of the circuit-closing member has a reduced portion screwed into the end of the other stem portion 19, providing opposed shoulders between which the tubular insulating member 16 and the tubular contact piece 17 are clamped together on the reduced middle portion of. the circuit-closing member.

Registering or alined apertures are shown as provided in opposite sides of the lower tubular column part 2 adjacent to its flared shaped insulating plug 10, and the stems 18 and 19 pass through these ali-ned openings,

so that the insulating. plug 1() is held in place in the tubular column part 2 by the stems18 and 19 of the circuit closer, and the stems 18 and 19 are in electrically conductive connection `with the lower column part 2. The movable insulating member 16 and the movable contact piece .17 are in cooperative relation with the stationarily mounted contact member 15 within the cup of the insulating plug 10. T he contact spring 15 is curved adjacent to its free end to provide a rounded or' convex portionwhich, by reasonv of the spring action of the contact spring 15, is pressed against and into frictional-engagement with the mov-l able contact piece 17 or the movable insulating member 16, according to the position of thecircuit-closin member, the stems 18 and 19 of which areI ree to slide longitudinally and insulatingplugl 10. The slidable stems 18 and 19 are shown as provided at their exposed ends with finger knobs, and by pressingl upon the one,or the other of the knobseither the contact piece 17 or'the insulatingmember 16 may be brought into engagement with the rounded free end portion of the contact spring 15, which extends in the same direction as the stems 18 and 19.-

The frictional engagement of the contact spring 15, assisted by thetapered form of 4the movable insulatin member v16 and -of the movable Contact vplece 17, will securely maintain the circuit in the open condition shown in'Fig's. '1 and-2,or in the closed condition appearing -in Figs. -3, 4 and.

The circular cross-section of Athe tubular tapered insulating member 16 and contact piece 17 permits rotative shiftingmovements of theseparts, together ,with the4 cylindrical stems 18 and 19, thereby widely distributing the wear of use, and also the construction is very inexpensive to make.

It will be noted thai'l the contact spring 15 and the spring contact terminal 14C cooperate to produce firm contact-making en. gagement of the metal Stems-18 `a11d'19 with.

the metal tube 2 and also to hold up the battery 5 with its center terminal 6 in rm engagement with the center terminal of the lamp 4. It will be further noted that it is a very-simple matter to make the circuitcompleting post 8 of anyjsuitable length, either longer or shorter than appears in the drawings, to readily accommodate. the circuit closer of my invention to. lights in which the column, shown as made up of the tubes 1 and 2, may beof a diderent length, longer'or shorter, than lthat shown 1n the drawings, and still have the linger-actuated stems 18 and 19 in proXimityto the base of the light, where they will be most convenient for use, out of the way and also give a neater appearance. A'

lt is obvious that various modicatlons may be made in the construction shown in the drawings and above particularly described within the principle' andscope of my A invention.

l claim -1. A circuit closer for a portable electric light comprising, in combination, atubular supporting column of electrically conductive material having apertures therein at opposite sides of the column, an electrically con'- ductive circuit-closing member slidable through the apertures in electrically conductive connection with the column and including portions joined together to provide shoulders, a contact piece and an insulating member both clamped between the shoulders of the circuit-closing member and movable therewith, an insulating plug held in place vWithin 'the tubular conductive column by the slidable circuit-closing member, a resilient contact member carried by the insulating plug and engageable with the contact piece and with the movable insulating member to maintain the closed circuit or the open circuit condition according to the positlon of the slidable circuit-closing member, a circuit-completing post carried by the insulating plug in electrically conductive connec tion with the resilient contact member and projecting upward within the tubular conductive column, a spacing disk ot insulating material carried by the post 1n spaced relation to the insulating plug, and a resilient contact terminal projecting lupward from the upper end of the post in electrically conductive connection therewith.

, 2.,.fl circuit. closer for a portable electrlc light comprising, in combination, a tubular supporting column of electrically condllcj tive material Vhaving apertures therein at opposite sides of the colunm, an electrically conductive circuit-closing member slidable through the apertures in electrically conductive connection with the column, an insulatingfplug held in place within the tubular conductive column by the slidable circuitclosing member, an insulating member carried by the slidable electrically conductive circuit-closing member to move therewith within the tubular conductive column, a spring-pressed contact member carried by the insulating plug and engageable with the -slidable circuit-closing member and the movable insulating member to maintain the closed circuitor the open circuit condition according to theposition of the slidable circuit-closing -member, a circuit-completing post carried by the insulating plug in electrical connection with the spring-pressed contact member vand projecting upward from such plug within the tubular conductive column, and a contact spring carried by the upper end of the post. i

3. A circuit closer for a portable electric light comprising, in combination, a tubular supporting column of electrically conductive material having apertures therein at opposite sides `4'of the column, an insulating block of cup shape in the tubular conductive column having opposite apertures therein in registry with 'the apertures of the column, anv electrically conductive circuit-closing.

member in electrically conductive connection with the column and slidable through the aline'd apertures in the column and block and holding the latter in place in the former, such circuit-closing member having stem portions joined together to provide a middle reduced portion between opposite shoulders within the cup-shaped insulating block, a contact piece and an insulating member on the reduced portion of the circuit-closing member and clamped between the shoulders thereof, a circuit-completing post carried by the insulating block and projecting upward within the tubular conductive column, a spring-pressed contact member secured to the lower end of the post and having engagement with the contact piece and the insulating member to maintain the closed circuit or the open circuit condition according to the position of the circuit-closing member, and a spring-pressedcontact terminal carried by the upper end of the post.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my. signature in presence of two witnesses.

GUSTAVE FREDERICK HITZELBERGER 

